The Great British Sewing Bee - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

In the earlier weeks, I thought Joyce would be a lock for the finale but she hasn't been as consistent the past week or so. I totally get what Patrick was saying about her yoga outfit not being specifically tight or loose but kind of in between which made it look like it didn't fit well. But from what she said, she did that on purpose because she doesn't like skin tight things. I think that what she did was within the parameters of the challenge and it was sewn well, but the judges just didn't like her choices (as opposed to Joyce making major mistakes in construction). I didn't think she did poorly in the first two challenges so I think that maybe the judges put her in the bottom two so we wouldn't know for certain that Rumana was the one going home.

[Pallida]

Was Esme wearing a dressing gown? I kept being distracted by the wonky collar as she critiqued collars. 

I liked that Charlotte's yoga outfit would work for many body types.  

I cut myself the first time I used a rotary cutter, so I can understand Joyce not wanting to use them. I don't think it's an age thing: more of a hand-eye coordination thing. 

[txvoodoo]

On 6/21/2016 at 5:40 PM, PepperMonkey said:

Why are all my favourite "The Great..." and Masterchef-any-country-but-the-US wrapping up soon??? What am I going to do this summer and early fall? Go outside?

I was hoping for Jade to go home and I'll miss Rumana quite a bit. I thought her flamingo jacket was the cutest and I didn't care for Jade's 80s inspired kids jacket at all. I kind of thought they were supposed to bring it out of the 80s.

I really can't tell who's going to win yet. I was putting money on Joyce, but she's having ups and downs and downs towards the end of the game are a bad thing. I'm actually thinking it might be Tracey and I'm good with that. I like her a lot.

I don't DISlike Jade, but I haven't warmed to her as I have some of the ladies.

Celebrity Masterchef (UK) started yesterday, and The Great British Menu starts soon! I'm with you - these shows keep me going.

With winners, hmm. Charlotte might be a dark horse? Tracey can be inconsistent. 

[halopub]

It may not mean anything but Charlotte and another contestant apparently got sewing bee tattoos.

[zxy556575]

17 minutes ago, halopub said:

It may not mean anything but Charlotte and another contestant apparently got sewing bee tattoos.

That's adora-bee-able!

(Although the part of me that watches tattoo shows thinks some of those lines are kinda scratchy!)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awww!

I'm not going to take it to as anything more than Charlotte and whoever else got this tattoo commemorating their shared experience on the show (like the Lord of the Rings actors who got matching tattoos).

[halopub]

Woop! Woop! I'm thrilled to see Charlotte doing so well. That duvet alteration rocked.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Claudia Winkleman hosts the grand final of the Great British Sewing Bee. Having made it through seven weeks of tough sewing challenges, the three finalists fight it out for the title of Britain's best amateur sewer. But first, they must create three pieces of evening wear to impress judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young.

First up is the pattern challenge, in which the sewers demonstrate their precision by creating an immaculate man's pin-tucked dress shirt. Next is the alteration challenge. They must use all their sewing ingenuity and imagination by taking a classic tuxedo and transform it into a little black dress. For the final made-to-measure challenge, the sewers make floor-length evening gowns for a model of their choice. Who has the ability to handle the most delicate, luxurious of fabrics and show off their advanced technical skills under intense pressure?

Across the three challenges, the judges will choose one sewer who has shown themselves to have all-round ability, attention to detail and vision for beautiful clothes. For the announcement, the other sewers return to the sewing room, joined by the finalists' friends and family to see who will be crowned the winner.

Edited June 29, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Rinaldo]

Can someone explain "the block"? I know they went over it, but I still somehow didn't get what was happening.

[klowey]

Let's see if I can.  A block is a pattern that basically covers the body.  There are no design elements and generally only enough ease (the difference between the body measurement and the amount of fabric) to allow you to put the block on a body.  (ie. if your hips measure 100 cm, the amount of fabric encircling your hips may be 102 cm) Once you can get fabric perfectly covering the body, you can add design elements to change the shape of the garment without ruining the fit.  Ideally.  

If you watch Project Runway, a lot of the designers do what the contestants were doing in the alteration challenge.  They were draping fabric over the mannequin to get it to fit and create design elements.  This is the opposite where you are creating a pattern that you then fit to the model.  

I'm hoping I got that right.  In flakier news, I loved how Patrick had to fold almost completely in two to hold a whispered conversation with Esme. 

Edited June 28, 2016 by klowey

[ceebee]

2 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Can someone explain "the block"? I know they went over it, but I still somehow didn't get what was happening.

It's just a 'base pattern' you make (or buy) which comprises the garment pieces reduced to their simplest possible interpretation (without any seam allowances)  and from which you can develop a more complex design, or just a pattern that exactly fits your measurements.  You trace the block pieces onto pattern paper and then embellish/reshape/adapt/add seam allowances etc

Also known as a 'sloper'.

Edited June 28, 2016 by ceebee
to add

[Silverleaf]

Jade certainly expected to come last in the pattern challenge.

[zxy556575]

3 hours ago, klowey said:

I'm hoping I got that right. In flakier news, I loved how Patrick had to fold almost completely in two to hold a whispered conversation with Esme

It was an amusing sight gag!

If I wore skirts any more I'd love to have the one from the pattern challenge. It was quite attractive on the mannequins.

I wasn't surprised that Tracey left but at this point wouldn't have been shocked at any of them going. They've all had ups and down and are pretty evenly matched. If I had to guess, Jade will be next. For no particular reason, I started rooting for Charlotte just this episode.

Except for Jade's, the block pattern dresses all looked like something out of a Sears catalogue from the 90s. I'm not expecting anything fashion forward or daring on this show, but those were just dowdy.

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, lordonia said:

If I had to guess, Jade will be next.

There's no "next" -- this was the last elimination. Next week we have the final three, of whom one will win. I agree that they're pretty evenly matched, and I rather expected Jade to go this time, but I didn't add up the ups and downs of each challenge, and I guess she did better overall than I realized. It was certainly clear that Charlotte was in no danger, though!

Thanks, all, for the very much appreciated explanation. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay, three-peat for Charlotte! I have been rooting for her since the beginning but she did so well this week AND made sure to go around to check on everyone during the pattern challenge and told two of her competitors what they were doing wrong. She's a good egg.

I thought that Jade's skirt would look much worse because she hadn't ironed her pattern. Joyce was so smart to use neoprene because that rigidity helped make her skirt drape really beautifully.

The duvet alteration challenge was interesting. Absolutely no waste at all? That's just asking for a rectangular dress. I was totally cracking up when Joyce said you want a beach dress to have lots of pockets so you have room for a book, sunglasses, ice cream money, etc. I put all that stuff in a beach bag, Joyce. Her dress ended up looking like a serape with a bandolier.

I liked the silhouette of Jade's one shouldered Grecian dress, but there would be way too much side boob showing on the right side. Tracy's had an interesting origami feel that echoed the geometric fabric. It's not necessarily something I would want to wear, but it was very artsy. At first glance, Charlotte's looked very effortless but she was very careful about how she used the fabric.

I loved that we got to see Patrick bending over two different times to confer with Esme. The first time was funny but the second time was hilarious because it was a different angle and you could see his hands on his thighs as he practically bent in half so she could whisper in his ear.

Except for Jade's, the block pattern dresses all looked like something out of a Sears catalogue from the 90s.

Funny you should say that because in the 90s, I had a dress with a back very similar to the one Jade made! I think that the other three dresses were more classic in shape/design but the fabrics/patterns/colors made them look really 90s (the florals in particular).

I thought Charlotte's looked the best sewn. If she had used a different fabric, it could look very classic. To a lesser degree, I think the same could apply to Tracy's except for the weird collar. I didn't understand the collar at all. Joyce's dress could look more modern without that big floppy collar and without that blah/mumsy beige floral fabric. Jade's looked the most youthful due to both the design and her fabric choices. That said, I don't think that the top was the most flattering.

Charlotte had such a good week that I knew she would make it through. The other three were a toss up though. Tracy was fourth in the pattern challenge and second in the alteration challenge. Joyce was the opposite of Tracy - she was second in the pattern challenge and fourth in the alteration challenge. Jade was third in the pattern challenge and third in the alteration challenge. I think the judges could have justifiably sent any of them home since Charlotte cleaned up in every challenge.

I thought from the first week that Joyce was a lock for the finale so I wasn't surprised that the judges kept her. She is a very good sewer but she seems to do much better with the pattern challenges than the final challenges AND her taste seems to run to older looking things in the alteration and made to measure challenges. For those reasons, I think that she will have to be at the top of her game next week in order to win. Even though Tracy mentioned that fit has been an issue for her because she's used to fitting garments to herself, I think that Joyce has been more consistent in making her garments look like they're always just a smidge too big for her model.

I might have kept Tracy instead because although she's not as consistent, she takes more chances and I'm never sure what she's going to do. The creativity she showed with the alteration challenge was a great example of that.

For me, Jade is the wild card for the finale. If she can really wow the judges with her made to measure design next week, she could win the whole thing.

Charlotte has been pretty consistent in both her sewing ability and her design choices so I would love to see her win, but you never know what will happen!

[PepperMonkey]

Team Charlotte!!!!!!!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

You guys, I had the same feeling about this finale as I did about the Game of Thrones finale - I was soooooo excited to see what happened but I was also really sad knowing that I will have to wait another year after this episode is over.

The pintucked shirt pattern challenge was really interesting. I was a little surprised that this time the sewers were given precut fabric for this so all they had to do was concentrate on the precision of the sewing. Hee, I was really looking forward to Patrick busting out his ruler for this challenge!

Mr. EB has some custom made dress shirts (although without pintucks) which he got from a tailor when we were in Hong Kong. Watching the pattern challenge made me appreciate how much work goes into making a men's shirt.

Joyce wasn't kidding when she said her top button hole wasn't great. I could see that something was off from a distance. I know the sewers were probably cringing but when Esme started measuring the pintucks, but I loved it. It's a combination of my OCD nature and appreciating that unlike Project Runway where you can have unfinished hems, raggedy hemlines, and models glued into dresses, Patrick and Esme actually care if the sewers are precise. Not at all surprised that Joyce got first.

Jade's shirt would have looked better if she'd had time to press it. There were definitely some spots where it looked like the fabric was pulling slightly or not lying flat and I suspect that a good pressing would have eliminated most of that.

Poor Charlotte. She got so flustered when she realized the seam allowance on the collar stand was wrong. I loved that Joyce was encouraging but stern when she told Charlotte that the button holes are all the same so she just had to get it in the right position and then put her foot down because they only had a few minutes left. I know that Patrick said the shortened seam allowance on the collar stand is what caused the pulling in the shoulders, but like Jade, I think that a good pressing would have made Charlotte's shirt look a little better. Such a shame because everything else looked so good. She knew she would come in last because of it.

The alteration challenge was an interesting idea. I have never taken apart a tuxedo but I remember thinking that the fabric I've seen for tuxedos is a little thick so I thought these little black dresses might not drape well.

Esme never ceases to amaze me. I was already shaking my head at her half and half sequined animal print jacket but then we saw that va va voom black cut out dress she designed!

I didn't like the way Jade put the darts on the outside of her dress. I also didn't like the flap pockets on the skirt area but I appreciate that she used the tuxedo jacket to create the skirt. It  looked like there would be a fair amount of side boob showing. I didn't like the chunky zipper. What I liked the best was the neckline/bodice but to be honest it wasn't very unique.

I liked the blue-ish sequined material Joyce chose but I didn't like the way she used it. Hated it on the flap pockets. The dress had this weird pooch in the back above the waist that wasn't flattering and looked like it didn't fit well. The sequined waistband was uneven in the back. Overall I just didn't like the design at all. I liked the sequined underskirt but the slit looked like it was high enough that you'd still need another layer of black fabric underneath to make sure your underwear didn't show. And Velcro? Joyce, no. That alone deserved third place.

Charlotte's looked the most polished and well thought out. It looked like a real dress, not something from an alteration challenge. She made smart choices about which parts of the tuxedo to use, like creating the front halter neckline out of the lapels. I also loved that she used the bowtie for the back of the halter neck which gave her dress a cheeky but cute quality (unlike Jade and Joyce who just slapped the bowties on as bowties which made them look like wannabe Playboy bunnies). She also used the black sequined material in the inserts so well to fill in the gaps in the top and the skirt. She definitely deserved first place.

Going into the final, all three of them were so even. Joyce got first and third. Charlotte got third and first. Jade got second and second.

One of my pet peeves on reality shows is when people say, "I'm worried about [insert name of competitor]" because 99% of the time what they really mean is "I'm about to talk shit about this other person and how terribly I think they're doing but frame it as concern." But this week, both Charlotte and Jade said they were worried about Joyce while she was working on her made to measure dress and I have no doubt that they really meant it.

I really disliked Joyce's dress as soon as I saw the sketch. It looked a little better in the picture on the front of the pattern, but I still didn't like it. Then I saw that old fashioned 80s lace she was sewing to the bottom of the bodice and I was just shaking my head. I thought that the judges would appreciate the work required to create the bustle. She really got around having to fit the bodice properly since it just laced up (a trick I learned from various costumes as well as when I was shopping for my wedding dress). The top edges didn't line up and I agree with Esme that the overall look was too costumey. I didn't like the dupioni she used for the skirt. It looked too thick. I can't believe she made the waist eight inches too big. That's a huge fit issue. And I couldn't believe that when they lifted up the bodice to look at the waistband of the skirt, there were still safety pins in it!

I really liked the gold beaded fabric that Jade used, but I didn't like the coral colored fabric. Her poor model! The regular weekly models are used to being poked and prodded by the judges but Jade's grandmother's friend obviously isn't used to it so when they started touching the bodice fabric, I was cringing for her.

Hee, Claudia cracks me up because I was also nosy/fascinated when they said that Charlotte's model was her children's stepmother. I think it's great that she gets along with her ex-husband's new wife. Of the three final dresses, I liked the design of Charlotte's the best but I was afraid it would be too simple for the judges' taste. I was also worried about her satin fabric too because if it's not the right kind, it can look cheap. And even if you steam it, the fabric can still look wrinkly if the model sits or leans. I didn't like the gathers between the bust and the waist. They just looked messy to me. It's too bad she didn't have time to completely fix the zipper because what's what ended up making the dress look like a cheap dress from the mall.

I loved seeing some of the finalists' best work during the intro but I also loved seeing near the end of the episode when the workroom was filled with their other work so that their families and the eliminated contestants could see what they'd made.

Yay, I love that Charlotte won! She has been such a lovely presence in the workroom all season, helping her other competitors, and she has sewn so many great garments. It was really sweet to see Jade and Joyce hug her when she was announced the winner and I loved the group hug with all of the contestants afterward. I always love seeing the updates about what the sewers have been up to since the show ended. Looooooove that Jade has remade all of her made to measure garments for her little sister! Hee, and hilarious that Rumana still hasn't sewn that button on her husband's coat.

I am going to miss this sweet little show. I hope we get S5!

Edited July 6, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo
I should proofread before I post

[Rinaldo]

How evenly matched could three finalists be? As EB said (and it was pointed out within the show too), going into the last challenge they had ranked 3-1, 2-2, and 1-3. And all their final gowns had good features but visible flaws. I was wondering "how do you choose a winner from this group?" Patrick's rationale, that Charlotte had developed and shown real insight into patterns and fabric and fit, made sense to me, because that's what I've seen too. I couldn't have said that either of the other two were a "wrong" winner, but I was extra glad to see Charlotte get it. Wonderful.

[Ceindreadh]

I know that Joyce had issues with fitting in the final challenges before, but how can you get it so wrong when not only do you get to pre-cut your pieces, but you also know exactly what size your model is?

[Pallida]

This is how you have tension and drama in a finale!  Have three equally worthy competitors who trade rankings throughout the episode WITHOUT producer manipulation!

I appreciate that we have to wait until this late into the competition to hear personal stories that have nothing to do with sewing.  Jade was on her way to being an Olympic caliber swimmer?  That's cool and all, but I like that I was rooting for her to do well (but not as well as Charlotte - and maybe equally as well as Joyce) because of her sewing talents.  

I kinda loved Esme's gaudy (gawd awful?) jacket.  Totally absurd and questionable,. yet fun.  Y'all can question my taste level!

I'm a bit of a downer because as I watched the precision needed for the men's shirts, I started to think about sweatshops and mass production of garments.  

Although still costumey, I think if Joyce had changed her color scheme, her made to measure dress could have been fabulous for someone into steampunk.  (That terrible lace had to go though.)  The gloves were also a problem for that look.  I liked Jade's concept, but not the coral fabric.  My heart broke for Charlotte as she struggled with the zipper.  In what world does it make sense that I would feel so strongly for a woman sewing a zipper?  And it's not like a million pounds were on the line or something!

In summary, I love this show.  

[zxy556575]

57 minutes ago, Pallida said:

In what world does it make sense that I would feel so strongly for a woman sewing a zipper?  And it's not like a million pounds were on the line or something!

Oh! I just now fully processed that there is zero prize money for this!

Kind of shitty on one hand and kind of gentle and sweet on the other.

[halopub]

Plus the sewing bee contestants generally seem like they have less self promotion and marketing opportunities than their equally likeable counterparts on Bake Off. Last year's winner, though, does have a book and a fully thought out website.

I don't have much to add to everyone's thoughts on the challenges but thanks to Charlotte I did totally tear up twice during this episode. The joke about the UK's version of Jerry Springer ending in a teary hug with Ruth and then her despair over the zipper. Man....I got so emotionally invested.

It was pretty cool to learn about Jade's competitive swimming days - which almost makes me forgive her for saying she doesn't know what the world was like before 1998 (the 60s episode) and I think it's fascinating that Charlotte's speciality is bones.

[halopub]

Charlotte got to keep her alteration challenge and modeled it on instagram.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, love her philosophical pose!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know! I wish we had gotten interesting tidbits like that about more of the contestants earlier in the season. I feel like the generic introductions we got in the first few episodes this year were all along the lines of "this person is married" and "this person has kids" which really does nothing to distinguish them from each other.

[klowey]

Charlotte posted a link to Crafty Plans podcast (http://craftyplanner.com/2016/07/11/charlotte-newland/). Good interview with a lot of background information on how the Bee is structured and how the application process works. 

[PaulaO]

During this episode I sang "Don't Let Emmett on the Overlock (or was it serger?)" from season 2 Project Runway (my favorite season).  Great British Menu????  I will have to look that up.

Edited July 14, 2016 by PaulaO

[ali59]

I learned to sew on a Singer like those and my 93 year old mother still sews with it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Campaign to save The Great British Sewing Bee tops 25,000 signatures

[ElectricBoogaloo]

There is an event called The Great British Sewing Bee Live is being held in London next week (September 21-24). There is a discount code (BEE-SALE) for 50% off tickets if you're interested in attending (full price isn't super expensive either). Patrick, Esme, and several past contestants will be there doing workshops and demonstrations. You can view the schedule here.

[Stampiron]

The Great British Sewing Bee is coming back for a 5th series, but with Joe Lycett presenting instead of Claudia. 

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-04-17/great-british-sewing-bee-2018-confirmed-bbc-series-back/

"Sewing Bee was off air in 2017, but now the series is set to be revived on BBC2. While the show has yet to be formally recommissioned, Broadcast has confirmed that Sewing Bee is set go into production shortly..."

[ElectricBoogaloo]

17 hours ago, Stampiron said:

The Great British Sewing Bee is coming back for a 5th series, but with Joe Lycett presenting instead of Claudia.

Awww, I'll miss Claudia but I'm just glad that the show will be back!

[doesntworkonwood]

Not quite media, but Patrick Grant did a fantastic Tedx talk about the fashion industry. He makes some really good points about the future of clothes manufacturing that I hadn't thought of before, so if you're interested you should definitely give it a watch!

 

[RealityCheck]

ShelleySue posted this article in the GBBO forum but it contained some information about "The Great British Sewing Bee".

Quote

Now [Love Productions is] back in production with a new season of the GBBO spin-off series, "The Great British Sewing Bee."

[txvoodoo]

On 4/18/2018 at 5:50 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Awww, I'll miss Claudia but I'm just glad that the show will be back!

And Joe is fabulous.

[GaT]

For talk about the first series, it's only 4 episodes.

[GaT]

I'm making my way through British competition shows, & I just finished the first episode of series 1. It looks interesting so far, & it certainly seems like you have to have some skill to compete. I'm enjoying it.

[GaT]

I just finished series 1, & the person who I picked to win in the first episode is the winner. Their work really ws so much more precise than everyone else's. And just like the The Great Pottery Throw Down, I am baffled by the choice of music used in the series. It sounded like music from the 40s to me, I don't understand why Love Productions keeps using strange music for these shows, I don't remember hearing strange music during GBBO. Anyway, off to see if I can find series 2.

[Ceindreadh]

14 hours ago, GaT said:

I just finished series 1, & the person who I picked to win in the first episode is the winner. Their work really ws so much more precise than everyone else's. And just like the The Great Pottery Throw Down, I am baffled by the choice of music used in the series. It sounded like music from the 40s to me, I don't understand why Love Productions keeps using strange music for these shows, I don't remember hearing strange music during GBBO. Anyway, off to see if I can find series 2.

It could be a copyright issue. Older songs might be cheaper to license. 

[Rinaldo]

15 hours ago, GaT said:

I am baffled by the choice of music used in the series. It sounded like music from the 40s to me

I would say the 50s -- all the Latin rhythms and Doris Day (and similar) vocals. They're consistent about it, and to me it gives the show a sound and pace like no other (which I would therefore figure is what they wanted).

[GaT]

I just finished watching this series (except for the first episode which I was never able to find) & I'm kind of disappointed in the finale. Heather always seemed kind of smug to me, & she annoyed me, so I was really rooting for Chinelo. I have no idea what Tamara was thinking with that dress, it was nasty. Plus, the theme was "haute couture", how could gluing on the flowers seem like haute couture?

Anyway, off to series 3!

[GaT]

I just started this series (I haven't been able to find episode 5 yet :-( ) & I had planned on watching series 3, but I could only track down a couple of episodes, so I decided to skip it. I was surprised to see Esme, is she new this series, or did she show up in series 3?

It was so nice to see how helpful the contestants are to each other.

Another thing I like is that the models all seem to be regular women, instead of all being 18 years old super skinny models.

Edited September 7, 2018 by GaT

[GaT]

In the remake challenge mostly everybody took the bridesmaids dresses & made......smaller bridesmaids dresses. Aren't they supposed to use some imagination? Interestingly, it was Josh (not a great vest) & Ghislaine (loved her little outfit), the bottom 2 who made something else. Too bad for Ghislaine that her outfit wasn't good enough to save her.

[GaT]

Well, that was a surprise. At no time during the competition did I think Charlotte might win, I really thought it was going to be Joyce. Her gown was terrible though, the black & silver fabrics didn't look like they went together, & the gloves were tacky. 

[silverspoons]

Where can I watch season 4. It seems to have disappeared from youtube?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S5 filming is complete! According to new host Joe Lycett, it won't air until 2019.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Interview with Patrick about the show and starting his tailoring business

[Aulty]

oh good. I didn't know that it'll be back. Sewing Bee has always been a good antidote to the contestant drama on Project Runway.

Now, can we get the Interior Design challenge back too please?

Edited November 13, 2018 by Aulty

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 minutes ago, Aulty said:

Now, can we get the Interior Design challenge back too please?

I'm still disappointed that The Great Pottery Throw Down and The Big Allotment Challenge were canceled!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I will miss Claudia when S5 begins, but I'm trying not to be a whiner about it. Maybe the new guy will be awesome. Honestly, as much as I liked Mary as a judge, Esme was fine as a replacement so I'm hoping the Claudia/new guy transition will be just as seamless (ha, no pun intended).

In the mean time, I just discovered that Claudia is the host on Britain's Best Home Cook so it's nice seeing her again there.